D-League call-up has persevered

For Reggie Williams, Sunday's whirlwind of emotion started in a Des Moines, Iowa, hotel.

"Coach called me down to his room, and I was thinking, 'What did I do wrong?' " said Williams, who instead of being reprimanded, was informed that he was getting called up to the Warriors. "My aunt couldn't speak, my father said he was buying 'NBA League Pass,' and my nerves have been jumping ever since."

Williams, who had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, in his NBA debut Tuesday, is the Warriors' league-record-tying fifth NBA Development League call-up this season.

He joined a Warriors lineup that just learned it would be without Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins - each of whom is expected to miss the entire five-game road trip with injuries.

Williams, a 23-year-old swingman, got only mid-major and Division II offers out of a Virginia high school. He went to VMI, where he became one of only nine players in history to lead the nation in scoring in back-to-back seasons. He went undrafted, then had to watch 15 D-Leaguers get a shot before he got called up from the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

"It's very hard, especially when you play against those guys," Williams said. "You're asking, 'Why can't I get that shot?' You feel like you've played those guys and out- played them, but you're not getting a chance."

Williams wasn't even the Warriors' top choice this time. They wanted to sign 6-foot-11 Courtney Simsfrom the Iowa Energy, but the 2008-09 D-League MVP signed to play in Puerto Rico days before the Warriors called.

"Mostly my whole basketball career has been in an underdog role, so it's nothing new," Williams said. "I want to prove that I can play here, that I belong with these guys. There are some guys who proved that if you come up here and play well, the Warriors will give you a chance to stay.

"It gives you hope."

Opening tip: Add one more to the Stephen Curry fan club. "He's probably the closest thing to a Steve Nash-type in terms of being able to see the floor and make passes that you can't really teach," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He has great poise. He does not seem like a rookie."